STEAM HEAT: H&M went for an “old East London” look in its latest campaign for David Beckham Bodywear, with photographer Josh Olins capturing the shirtless soccer stud in a tiled locker room. The ads break today in print, online, in windows and in stores. The collection, Beckham’s fourth, is carried in all of H&M’s more than 2,800 doors in 49 countries.
“No matter how many campaigns I do for H&M, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing my image on huge billboards everywhere,” Beckham confessed to WWD.
The athlete, who used to whisk through the Bristol hotel in Paris in gray sweats and sweaters during his recent stint with the Paris Saint-Germain team, said the collection of raglan-sleeve knits, sweat pants and tank tops reflect his personal wardrobe favorites.
“When I started my bodywear range with H&M, I wanted it to be based around a core range of products that are available all year round,” he said. “As we go into winter, it’s great to have pieces for lounging with family and friends at home.”
H&M declined to reveal its media spend for the steamy spots but noted that its marketing budget is around 3.5 percent of group sales, excluding VAT. That means in its last fiscal year, H&M would have spent about $621.5 million on marketing.